The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) Order 05-116, E911 Requirements for IP-Enabled Service Providers, hereinafter referred to as the FCC Order, stipulates that interconnected Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) service providers must deliver 911 calls to a VoIP service user's local emergency service operator as a standard feature of the service. The term “interconnected” refers to the ability of the VoIP service provider to enable VoIP service users to receive calls from and terminate calls to the public switched telephone network (PSTN).
Under the FCC Order, VoIP service providers must supply 911 service if the VoIP service user accesses the VoIP service over broadband and if the VoIP service provider supplies interconnection both to and from the PSTN. Interconnected VoIP service providers must provide emergency service operators with the call back number and location information of the VoIP service users (i.e., E911) where the emergency service operator is capable of receiving it. If the VoIP service provider's approach requires some or all VoIP service users to provide location information, the VoIP requires some or all VoIP service users to provide location information, the VoIP service provider must supply the VoIP service user a means of providing and updating this information.
Interconnected VoIP service providers must also inform the VoIP service users, both new and existing, of the E911 capabilities and limitations of the VoIP service. To aid the VoIP service providers in implementing methods to conform to the FCC Order, the incumbent local exchange carriers are required to provide access to their E911 networks to any requesting telecommunications carrier, and must continue to provide access to trunks, selective routers, and E911 databases to competing carriers.